How Geothermal Works

Providing Comfort Through Nature's Energy

What is Geothermal Heating and Cooling?

Also known as GeoExchange, Geothermal heating and cooling uses the earth's renewable energy source to heat and cool your home. By tapping into the earth, a few feet below the earth's surface, we are able to capture the earth's constant temperature and move it into your home.

70% of your home's total energy bills comes from heating, cooling, and hot water. The best way to save on energy is to improve your home's energy efficiency. Your yard has a large amount of free energy and by adding loops buried into the ground we can transfer that energy to your home for all of your heating and cooling needs.

Earth Loop Options

If enough land is available (acre +) horizontal loops can be installed. One or more trenches are dug using a backhoe or chain trencher. Polyethylene pipes are inserted and trenches are backfilled. The more pipe per foot of the trench, the shorter the trench can be. Trenches range from 100 to 300 feet.

Horizontal

Vertical loops are installed if land space is limited and/or soil content is not conductive enough for horizontal loops. Installing vertical loops requires the use of a drilling rig. Multiple holes are drilled (depending on the size of home) about 10 feet apart. A double pipe connected by a U bend at the end of the pipe is inserted in the hole. The hole is then filled with grout to provide good contact around the pipe and to seal the hole. The pipes are connected by a header system a few feet below the ground, which are then brought in through the foundation of your home and connected to the unit. Typical drilling depth is 200'.

Vertical

If you have access to an adequate size body of water close to your home a pond loop can be installed. A series of earth loops are coiled and then sunk to bottom of the pond. Typically a 1/2 acre with 8' depth is usually adequate. Ideally the body of water needs to be within 200' feet of your home. If the pond is further than the recommended 200' the benefit of using a pond loop is greatly reduced because of trenching, materials, and pumping costs.

Pond

Getting Technical

We are using the same basic technology found in your home's refrigerator. The core concept to refrigeration is moving heat energy. Your refrigerator removes heat from food; we remove heat from the ground to heat your home and we remove heat from your home to cool it. Heat flows from hot matter to cold matter. The ground acts as a giant solar collector by storing heat energy a few feet below the earth's surface. The temperature a few feet down remains constant and unaffected by the outdoor temperatures. By placing pipes (earth loops) in the ground we are able to exchange energy. The warm earth releases heat energy into the cooler loops and then is transferred to the geothermal unit. Cold liquid refrigerant passes through the water-to-refrigerant heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is made of copper, and consists of a tube within a tube, water from the loop travels through one tube (inside tube) refrigerant passes through the other (outside tube). As the fluid flows through the heat exchanger, heat energy is transferred from the loop fluid to the refrigerant through the copper wall separating the two. This heat transfer causes the cold liquid refrigerant to turn into a gas. This gas is sucked into the compressor where it is compressed. Once compression is complete, the refrigerant will be very hot (160 degrees) and discharged through a reversing valve into the coil. This coil is similar to a radiator device, with thin aluminum fins attached to the copper refrigerant tubing. The refrigerant is passed through the coil from which return air from the house passes over the coil, heat is released from the refrigerant and absorbed by the cooler air passing by. This is a result of warm air that is then passed through your ductwork (forced air system). The cooling process is the same concept but in reverse.

Geothermal Heating and Cooling Benefits

• Lower Operating Cost
• Lower Life Cycle Cost
• Enhanced Comfort
• Safe
• Clean
• Quiet
• Reliable
• Environmentally Friendly
• Flexible